*~*DISCLAIMER*~*
Ok. I'm ONLY gonna say this ONCE:
I do NOT own ANY of the characters in this story EXCEPT for Lily. All the
other characters belong to the wonderful, fabulous, JRR Tolkein.
All right. I've said it. Don't make me do it again. Besides, who would
REALLY believe that I actually created all the LOTR characters anyway?
Whatever. Here goes. Please read and review!
Now, welcome to the re-vamped version of "Something More!" I hope you like
it!
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A hundred sights and sounds filled her eyes and ears. Although night had fallen, she could still see perfectly because of all the lanterns strung between poles, hanging on tree branches, anywhere they could be hung. All around her, at least a hundred people were talking, laughing, dancing, drinking or just walking. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying himself. Suddenly, a loud explosion startled her. She whirled around to see one of Gandalf's fireworks shoot up into the star-sprinkled sky. It soared higher and higher, until they could no longer distinguish it from the many stars. Everyone stopped what he was doing to stare up at the sky in expectation. Then, sizzling and hissing, millions of tiny stars came tumbling down from the sky. The hobbits cheered and many screamed as the little specks of flame fell nearer and nearer to their heads. Then, just inches above the tallest hobbit head, the stars vanished with a loud pop. After a moment of startled silence, everyone began to cheer and clap. Little hobbit children jumped up and down in excitement. Lily laughed out loud as she clapped her pretty, white hands together. After a few moments, she sighed happily and, noticing her friends beckoning to her, walked over to join them. Her big, blue, gray-flecked eyes sparkled with fun and excitement. She was rather tall and slender for a hobbit, and her pale, pointed face suggested a bit of elven heritage, although all her ancestors were hobbits. A few cinnamon freckles dotted the bridge of her cute, button nose. In honor of the occasion, she wore the new outfit she had bought from the tailor just yesterday. A band of tiny flowers, embroidered in black thread, ran along the edge of her navy blue skirt. She wore a matching vest, laced up with black ribbon, over a crisp, white peasant blouse. The navy ribbon tied around her head barely held back the copper red, corkscrew curls that framed her face and bounced on her shoulders as she walked. As she reached the weathered wooden table where her friends were sitting, Pippin called out, "Hey, Lil, hurry up! Esme and I been waving at you for the past half hour. My hand's so tired, it's about to fall off!" Grinning proudly as the rest of them giggled, he scooted over so Lily could have a seat. "Thanks, Pip," she said as she sat down, "Where's Sam?" From across the table came a muffled giggle, then Esme said, "He's probably trying to find Rosie in the crowd. Maybe he'll actually get up the nerve to ask her to dance this time!" Esmerelda Goldworth, Esme for short, had been Lily's best friend for as long as they could remember. With her dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, and her amber brown eyes, she made a striking picture. She was shorter and plumper than Lily, but also more outgoing. Esme knew no strangers; she got along with everyone. "Maybe you should go help him out, Esme, since you seem so concerned," Frodo remarked, trying to keep back the laughter. "Well, I. I mean. seriously, the poor hobbit!" Esme retorted. At this, everyone burst into laughter, Esme included. When everyone had finally calmed down, she stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to go and have another dance." "With who? I think Sam's already taken!" Merry yelled after her, as she walked away. "All right, Merry," Pippin said, "Now come on, let's go and see Gandalf about those fireworks of his." Both Merry and Pippin stood up and walked off together. "I wonder what those two are up to," Frodo said, "I hope they aren't planning anything." "Oh, you know them. When are they not scheming about something?" Lily remarked. "Just as long as nothing disastrous happens," he replied, leaning his elbows on the table. Then he smiled, "Bilbo's birthday party sure is a success." "Oh, it's wonderful! And I think everyone really enjoys Gandalf's fireworks, especially Merry and Pippin." Frodo smiled and turned to face her. "You know, that new outfit looks wonderful on you." Surprised, Lily felt a rosy blush creep over her cheeks, which seemed to happen a lot around him now. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking down, "Ummmmmmm. I think your new outfit looks great too." To her surprise, he burst out laughing. Looking up, she started at him, "It's really not that funny you know." "I know, I know," he said, through his laughter, "It's just that. I really don't know why am laughing." He looked so funny as he said this, that she began to laugh with him. When their laughter subsided, he suggested, "You know, Lil, I think Esme had a good idea. Let's go have another dance." Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet, and then ran off to where all the other dancers and musicians were gathered, dragging her behind him. As she hurried to keep up with him, Lily's thoughts whirled. She and Frodo had been friends since they were only tiny hobbit children, for as long as she could remember. She and Frodo were just as close as she and Esme. But, lately, her feelings for him had been changing, and he'd been acting as though his had changed as well. I'm probably just imagining it, she thought. Before she could wonder anymore, Frodo grabbed her other hand and swung her into the dance. As the music swirled around them, Frodo leaned toward her and whispered, "Look, over there." Then he looked over toward their left. Following his gaze, Lily saw Sam and Rosie dancing and laughing together. "I guess he got his nerve up after all," Frodo said. "Did it take you a lot of nerve to ask me to dance?" she asked him, coyly. Laughing, he replied, "Of course it did! We gentleman are always nervous about these sort of things." "You? A gentleman?" Pretending to be serious, he shook his finger at her sternly, "Now, young lady, do you think that was a very kind thing to say?" The dance had now ended and they were sitting on a bench to rest. Grabbing his hand, she pushed it into his lap, "Oh you. You can be so annoying sometimes, do you know that?" "Why thank you, my lady. That was a fabulous compliment," he said, touching his hand to his heart. She realized that his other hand was still holding on to hers. She stared stupidly at it, until she realized that he was staring at her. Blushing, she looked up into those big blue eyes of his and realized that they were laughing at her. Just then, a huge bang jolted her out of her reverie. "What was that?" she asked, "It sounded like one of Gandalf's fireworks, but none of his are that loud. Oh my!" They both looked up to see a huge firework rocketing upward. Then, it unfolded into a dragon. Now, instead of shooting up higher, it was coming down. Almost everyone screamed and began running in the opposite direction. Frodo jumped to his feet, "Bilbo!" Without another word, he ran off to where Bilbo was sitting, telling a story to some hobbit children. Before she could run after him, Lily was swept up in the crowd of running hobbits. As she ran, dodging tables, she tried to find Frodo and Bilbo, but the crowd was too thick. Then she heard a noise behind her, the dragon was closing in. With a yelp of fear, she and all the others ducked as the flaming dragon swooped over them, then shot up into the sky. There, it exploded into several more fireworks, which soon melted away, leaving a clear sky and a hundred amazed hobbits below it. There was silence for a moment, before they all started to clap. Joining in, Lily looked around for Frodo and Bilbo. She spotted them at the edge of the crowd. As she made her way over to them, the crowd began to shout, "Speech, Bilbo. Speech!" Bilbo good-naturedly stood up and walked to a platform as all the others sat down. "Well that turned out all right," she remarked as she and Frodo sat down at a table near the back. "Yes, but I wonder if that was the way Gandalf had planned to use his most spectacular firework," he said, "Something tells me that Merry and Pippin were involved in this." She was about to reply when Bilbo began his speech. He greeted them all, clan by clan. When he got to the Smallburrows, she gave a cheer with all the rest of them. She and Frodo both laughed uproariously when Old Mr. Proudfoot yelled, "ProudFEET!" in response to Bilbo's greeting the Proudfoots. Then, a change came over Bilbo. Fingering something in his pocket, he said shakily, "I regret to announce that I shall not be seeing you again. This is the end. Goodbye." To everyone's surprise, he vanished. Frodo jumped up, "Where did he go? Bilbo?" He looked around frantically, trying to wade through the crowd of bewildered hobbits. "I've got to find Gandalf. I'm sure he knows something about this." Lily looked at him. He seemed really upset. "Don't worry, Frodo," she said, "I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just another prank of Merry and Pippin's." He didn't look convinced. "I'll stay out here and look for him. Why don't you go check in Bag End?" Nodding, he turned to leave and said, "If you find him, tell him I'm inside waiting for him." Now that he was gone, she had time to think about the evening's events. For the past few days, her feelings for Frodo had become more then just friendly. She just wasn't sure how he felt. With a tiny sigh, she turned and joined the throng of hobbits calling Bilbo's name as they tried to find him amidst all the confusion.
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A hundred sights and sounds filled her eyes and ears. Although night had fallen, she could still see perfectly because of all the lanterns strung between poles, hanging on tree branches, anywhere they could be hung. All around her, at least a hundred people were talking, laughing, dancing, drinking or just walking. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying himself. Suddenly, a loud explosion startled her. She whirled around to see one of Gandalf's fireworks shoot up into the star-sprinkled sky. It soared higher and higher, until they could no longer distinguish it from the many stars. Everyone stopped what he was doing to stare up at the sky in expectation. Then, sizzling and hissing, millions of tiny stars came tumbling down from the sky. The hobbits cheered and many screamed as the little specks of flame fell nearer and nearer to their heads. Then, just inches above the tallest hobbit head, the stars vanished with a loud pop. After a moment of startled silence, everyone began to cheer and clap. Little hobbit children jumped up and down in excitement. Lily laughed out loud as she clapped her pretty, white hands together. After a few moments, she sighed happily and, noticing her friends beckoning to her, walked over to join them. Her big, blue, gray-flecked eyes sparkled with fun and excitement. She was rather tall and slender for a hobbit, and her pale, pointed face suggested a bit of elven heritage, although all her ancestors were hobbits. A few cinnamon freckles dotted the bridge of her cute, button nose. In honor of the occasion, she wore the new outfit she had bought from the tailor just yesterday. A band of tiny flowers, embroidered in black thread, ran along the edge of her navy blue skirt. She wore a matching vest, laced up with black ribbon, over a crisp, white peasant blouse. The navy ribbon tied around her head barely held back the copper red, corkscrew curls that framed her face and bounced on her shoulders as she walked. As she reached the weathered wooden table where her friends were sitting, Pippin called out, "Hey, Lil, hurry up! Esme and I been waving at you for the past half hour. My hand's so tired, it's about to fall off!" Grinning proudly as the rest of them giggled, he scooted over so Lily could have a seat. "Thanks, Pip," she said as she sat down, "Where's Sam?" From across the table came a muffled giggle, then Esme said, "He's probably trying to find Rosie in the crowd. Maybe he'll actually get up the nerve to ask her to dance this time!" Esmerelda Goldworth, Esme for short, had been Lily's best friend for as long as they could remember. With her dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, and her amber brown eyes, she made a striking picture. She was shorter and plumper than Lily, but also more outgoing. Esme knew no strangers; she got along with everyone. "Maybe you should go help him out, Esme, since you seem so concerned," Frodo remarked, trying to keep back the laughter. "Well, I. I mean. seriously, the poor hobbit!" Esme retorted. At this, everyone burst into laughter, Esme included. When everyone had finally calmed down, she stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to go and have another dance." "With who? I think Sam's already taken!" Merry yelled after her, as she walked away. "All right, Merry," Pippin said, "Now come on, let's go and see Gandalf about those fireworks of his." Both Merry and Pippin stood up and walked off together. "I wonder what those two are up to," Frodo said, "I hope they aren't planning anything." "Oh, you know them. When are they not scheming about something?" Lily remarked. "Just as long as nothing disastrous happens," he replied, leaning his elbows on the table. Then he smiled, "Bilbo's birthday party sure is a success." "Oh, it's wonderful! And I think everyone really enjoys Gandalf's fireworks, especially Merry and Pippin." Frodo smiled and turned to face her. "You know, that new outfit looks wonderful on you." Surprised, Lily felt a rosy blush creep over her cheeks, which seemed to happen a lot around him now. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking down, "Ummmmmmm. I think your new outfit looks great too." To her surprise, he burst out laughing. Looking up, she started at him, "It's really not that funny you know." "I know, I know," he said, through his laughter, "It's just that. I really don't know why am laughing." He looked so funny as he said this, that she began to laugh with him. When their laughter subsided, he suggested, "You know, Lil, I think Esme had a good idea. Let's go have another dance." Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet, and then ran off to where all the other dancers and musicians were gathered, dragging her behind him. As she hurried to keep up with him, Lily's thoughts whirled. She and Frodo had been friends since they were only tiny hobbit children, for as long as she could remember. She and Frodo were just as close as she and Esme. But, lately, her feelings for him had been changing, and he'd been acting as though his had changed as well. I'm probably just imagining it, she thought. Before she could wonder anymore, Frodo grabbed her other hand and swung her into the dance. As the music swirled around them, Frodo leaned toward her and whispered, "Look, over there." Then he looked over toward their left. Following his gaze, Lily saw Sam and Rosie dancing and laughing together. "I guess he got his nerve up after all," Frodo said. "Did it take you a lot of nerve to ask me to dance?" she asked him, coyly. Laughing, he replied, "Of course it did! We gentleman are always nervous about these sort of things." "You? A gentleman?" Pretending to be serious, he shook his finger at her sternly, "Now, young lady, do you think that was a very kind thing to say?" The dance had now ended and they were sitting on a bench to rest. Grabbing his hand, she pushed it into his lap, "Oh you. You can be so annoying sometimes, do you know that?" "Why thank you, my lady. That was a fabulous compliment," he said, touching his hand to his heart. She realized that his other hand was still holding on to hers. She stared stupidly at it, until she realized that he was staring at her. Blushing, she looked up into those big blue eyes of his and realized that they were laughing at her. Just then, a huge bang jolted her out of her reverie. "What was that?" she asked, "It sounded like one of Gandalf's fireworks, but none of his are that loud. Oh my!" They both looked up to see a huge firework rocketing upward. Then, it unfolded into a dragon. Now, instead of shooting up higher, it was coming down. Almost everyone screamed and began running in the opposite direction. Frodo jumped to his feet, "Bilbo!" Without another word, he ran off to where Bilbo was sitting, telling a story to some hobbit children. Before she could run after him, Lily was swept up in the crowd of running hobbits. As she ran, dodging tables, she tried to find Frodo and Bilbo, but the crowd was too thick. Then she heard a noise behind her, the dragon was closing in. With a yelp of fear, she and all the others ducked as the flaming dragon swooped over them, then shot up into the sky. There, it exploded into several more fireworks, which soon melted away, leaving a clear sky and a hundred amazed hobbits below it. There was silence for a moment, before they all started to clap. Joining in, Lily looked around for Frodo and Bilbo. She spotted them at the edge of the crowd. As she made her way over to them, the crowd began to shout, "Speech, Bilbo. Speech!" Bilbo good-naturedly stood up and walked to a platform as all the others sat down. "Well that turned out all right," she remarked as she and Frodo sat down at a table near the back. "Yes, but I wonder if that was the way Gandalf had planned to use his most spectacular firework," he said, "Something tells me that Merry and Pippin were involved in this." She was about to reply when Bilbo began his speech. He greeted them all, clan by clan. When he got to the Smallburrows, she gave a cheer with all the rest of them. She and Frodo both laughed uproariously when Old Mr. Proudfoot yelled, "ProudFEET!" in response to Bilbo's greeting the Proudfoots. Then, a change came over Bilbo. Fingering something in his pocket, he said shakily, "I regret to announce that I shall not be seeing you again. This is the end. Goodbye." To everyone's surprise, he vanished. Frodo jumped up, "Where did he go? Bilbo?" He looked around frantically, trying to wade through the crowd of bewildered hobbits. "I've got to find Gandalf. I'm sure he knows something about this." Lily looked at him. He seemed really upset. "Don't worry, Frodo," she said, "I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just another prank of Merry and Pippin's." He didn't look convinced. "I'll stay out here and look for him. Why don't you go check in Bag End?" Nodding, he turned to leave and said, "If you find him, tell him I'm inside waiting for him." Now that he was gone, she had time to think about the evening's events. For the past few days, her feelings for Frodo had become more then just friendly. She just wasn't sure how he felt. With a tiny sigh, she turned and joined the throng of hobbits calling Bilbo's name as they tried to find him amidst all the confusion.